The University of Glasgow’s Clinical Innovation Zone (CIZ) has been shortlisted for a UK Science Park (UKSPA) Awards 2019 in the ‘location- setting the pace’ category, a recognition reflective of the economic growth benefits for Glasgow and future health innovation for the people of Scotland and beyond.

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The UKSPA Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements and activities of its members and the impact which they, and their tenant companies, have made to local, national and international economies and communities.

The ‘location - setting the pace’ category reflects successful outcomes from exceptional facilities, good management, innovative practices and high-quality tenant support.

The CIZ, located at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), brings together the University’s world-leading research, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and the brightest industry partners from around the world to form a ‘triple-helix’ approach to tackling global healthcare challenges.

Representing investment in excess of £70 million on the £1 billion newly-developed campus, the CIZ is a vibrant and exemplar UK life sciences cluster for the city of Glasgow, which is driving development of Precision Medicine technologies (a named priority for the Scottish Government); accelerating commercial innovation; stimulating business growth for the city of Glasgow and maximising patient benefit for people across Scotland.

The CIZ currently has 22,000ft of space for industry to co-locate on site with academia and the NHS, enabling and fostering open innovation Indeed, the buildings are designed to provide opportunities and spaces for likeminded people to connect and collaborate.

The growing ecosystem of the CIZ includes: the Scotland-wide Stratified Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre (SMS-IC); the Imaging Centre of Excellence (ICE), which incorporates a Siemens 7 Tesla MRI scanner, the first of its kind fully integrated within a clinical site in the UK; the MRC EPSRC Glasgow Molecular Pathology Node, a collaboration between UofG, NHS and six industry partners; the Glasgow Clinical Research Facility, one of only two facilities in the UK to have co-located space for adult, adolescent, and paediatric clinical trials; and a biorepository managed by NHSGG&C.

Dr Carol Clugston, COO of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow, said: “The shortlisting of the CIZ is a reflection of achievements we’ve made so far in Glasgow: delivering economic growth, attracting innovative talent, driving research and development of new Precision Medicine technologies and enhancing collaboration with our partners at the NHS, all for the benefit of the people of Scotland.

“As such, I am delighted to see this recognition from the UKSPA Awards and look forward to continuing the great work all our ‘triple helix’ partners are doing as we continue into the future.”

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Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk / 0141 330 6557 or 0141 330 4831

First published: 18 February 2019